Andrew Neil savages Keir Starmer's migrant deal with brutal tweet

Andrew Neil hit out at Sir Keir Starmer's "one in, one out" deal with France after the first migrant was deported. The veteran broadcaster highlighted how there have been more than 31,000 small boat arrivals so far this year.

He wrote on X: "First illegal migrant has been returned to France under Starmer's 'one in, one out' deal. A second might be deported later today. So far over 31,000 illegal migrants have crossed the Channel this year."

The man from India was reportedly on board an Air France plane to Paris earlier today.

This is the first deportation of a migrant who has crossed the English Channel since the returns deal came into force last month.

The Prime Minister struck the pilot scheme in July as part of efforts to get a grip on record small boat crossings.

Under the agreement, the UK will send back to France asylum seekers who have crossed the Channel, in exchange for those who apply and are approved to come to Britain.

But the deal has been thrown into chaos this week after planned removals failed to take place.

The Home Office will lodge an appeal today against the first legal challenge brought to the High Court against a migrant's deportation under the scheme.

On Tuesday, the court granted an Eritrean man a "short period of interim relief" ahead of his 9am flight to France on Wednesday, and gave him 14 days to make representations to support his claim that he was a victim of modern slavery.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said the first return of a migrant to France under the Government's "one in, one out" deal sends a message to those crossing the English Channel "if you enter the UK illegally, we will seek to remove you".